Russian Campaign

[Das Taub]

In my reading upon this forum, I have noticed that there have been no concrete plans for the Russian Front Campaign, except an idea to do the entire campaign from Barbarossa to Berlin, which in my opinion is totally unrealistic, given that all the technology in the game already is late 1943/early to mid 1944, and contrary to what you see in the films, there were no T34-85s at Stalingrad. being a historian of WWII, i put my thinking cap on and wrote up a ten mission list for a Russian campaign that is both relevant to the timescale, and fits in nicely with the western front campaigns.

Operation Bagration was the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, that annihilated German Army Group Centre and pushed the Germans out of Russia, and into Poland. This Campaign focuses on the northern spearhead (the ‘Hammer’) and in particular the 3rd Guards Mechanised Corps, and the 3rd Guards Tank Corps. As the forces in the previous campaigns are fictional (Able company, 3rd Battalion) I have created a fictional Russian unit for the campaign, the 3rd Guards.

Reconnaissance in Force: 20th June, 1944. The 3rd Guards must probe and test the positions of the German 256th infantry, and capture several jump-off points for Bagration.

Stalin’s Strike: 22nd June, 1944. The Russian forces unleash their full scale attack against the defending 78th Sturm Division outside Orsha. 3rd Guards must break through the German lines.

Tiger Taming: 25th June 1944. The 501st Tiger Gruppe is the last obstacle on the road to Orsha. The 3rd Guards, with Stalin II in support, must eliminate the Tigers and clear the road to Orsha.

Orsha:  27th June 1944. The Critical Railhead of Orsha is vital to the drive on Minsk. The remnants of the 78th Sturm have heavily fortified the city. The Railyard must be secured.

Tolochin Marshes: 28th June 1944. The Tolochin Marshes are a back door to Minsk, are lightly Guarded, and a haven for Partisans. 3rd Guards must sweep aside the defending Sicherungs (security, Partisan Hunting) troops and seize a vital roadway through the marshes.

Borizov: Taking the City: 29 June 1944. The City of Borizov is a vital crossing point of the River Berezina, and 3rd Guards must take the city, and capture it’s bridges intact.

Borizov: the German Assault: 29 June 1944. Kampfgruppe Von Sauken, consisting of the 5th Panzer and 505th Tiger Gruppe are launching a full scale counterattack to eliminate the Russian bridgehead. 3rd Guards must hold them back, and protect the Bridges.

Crossing the Berezina: 1st July 1944. As the Germans Retreated, they destroyed the Bridges. Now the 3rd Guards must force a crossing of the river farther north to continue the Advance.

Lepel: 2nd July 1944. The 5th Panzer remnants are the last thing between the Russians and Minsk. 3rd Guards must draw out the 5th Panzer, and then encircle and destroy them.

Minsk: 3rd July 1944. Minsk, the last great soviet city still under German control, is almost within the Russians Grasp. 3rd Guards must link up with the 4th Guards Tank from the southern spearhead east of Minsk, then drive into the city to liberate it and complete the destruction of Army Group Centre.

if an Ostheer campaign is needed, i will do some more research and compile one, probably based on army group north.

[UeArtemis]

The liberation of Belarus can be a good campaign. I always say it. ^_^

[luz777]

Sounds like a nicely thought out and interesting campaign. However a lot of people will definately be wanting a Stalingrad mission, a Kursk mission and all the other "iconic" battles of the Eastern Front.

Personally I dont mind either, maybe a mix of both. I like CoH for its slightly arcadey, "hollywood" style. I've got Men of War to play for realism 

Cheers

[Gerrit 'Lord Rommel' G.]

Perhaps a campaign about the soviet marschall Shukov would be good for the mod because Shukov was involved in most of the important battles of the eastern front. From Moskau too Berlin you always find marshall Shukov

( Edit: @Taub: Because of a campaign of Heeresgruppe Nord: Do you know the book "Tiger in the mud"? )

[UeArtemis]

And marshal Zhukov was in Mongolia too ^_^
P.S. Zhuk (Beetle) and Shuka/Shchuka (Pike) are different creatures

[Gerrit 'Lord Rommel' G.]

Sorry, but here in Germany i read so much different versions of marshall Shukov.
Schukov, Shukov, Zhukov, and so on!
But you know this man 

[vengefulnoob]

I would guess you're talking about my idea, let me explain how tge campaign was constructed:

1. Stalingrad is a critical part of the eastern front

2. Ofc the t34-85 wasn't in any of the battles in my campaign, but there are some abilities which can be disabled in campaigns

3. I've wanted to put right what most people think about Stalingrad from the call of duty franchise and enemy at the gates, so here is a detailed campaign based on 13th guards rifle division, with historical figures such as
rodimstev, commander, 13th GRD
Chuikov, commander, 62nd army
Zhukov, Marshall of the soviet union

4. 13th GRD had a truly illustrious history- it practically saved the Volga beachead from collapsing under a german assault and fought in almost every major battle of the war

5. Characters already devised!

The campaign also focuses on Kursk, though I was planning a possible second campaign based on 1944, perhaps you're interested in changing 3rd GD to 13th GRD? I know that they're fictional units in vcoh, but I 13th GRD thought in some battles so dramatic that they don't need much of a storyline

 

[ford_prefect]

People have been making maps for Leningrad, Stalingrad, Minsk, and many others. Your campaign draws a very thin line on the war.                                                                                 What they should do is do what tales of valor did. Do several mini campaigns so they can do the entire front. Doing one major campaign would mean that they would have to stay with the same army. Doing several would they could do a Northern, Central, and southern campaign. They could even do a final push campaign that you can co that would be a campaign in Germany and Poland.                                                                         They couldn't relay do a campaign in Romania or Finland or Hungry. (They have said that the ostheer will be the only new axis faction so they cant "historically" do a campaign there but a smaller set of several campaigns would be more broad and scene this mod is looking at all of Russia instead of just Normandy in France they should do that.

[Das Taub]

If you were doing those early battles, you would lose a number of units.

Barbarossa, Stalingrad
T70 (entered service mid 1942, not used in large numbers until 1943)
T90
T34-85
Su 85
IS II
ISU 152

Kursk
T90
T34-85
Su 85
IS II
ISU 152

And if you were trying to do the German opposition, it gets ever harder. in Barbarossa, for example, you would have Panzer 35(t) and 38(t), Panzer II F, as well as early model Panzer III (Ausf C-H) and Stug III C. the Russians would need to get KV 1 and SU 76. this would require a lot of 'one of' units for both sides.

most of the units are designed with 1944 in mind, and it is best that they are used for a campaign with a 1944 setting. Bagration is little known in the west (i had to go to Russia to research much of the information) and this campaign could educate those who play it on a little known but vital campaign for the red army.

if you wanted to include Zhukov, you could have him congratulating Polkovnk (Major) Danko on his unit's exemplary performance in the liberation of Minsk.

[vengefulnoob]

Actually, both the su-85 and su-152 (forerunner to the isu152, just on kv chasis instead of is, if you can spot the difference in game you'd be quite pedantic really) were present during Kursk

[ford_prefect]

If you were doing those early battles, you would lose a number of units.

Barbarossa, Stalingrad
T70 (entered service mid 1942, not used in large numbers until 1943)
T90
T34-85
Su 85
IS II
ISU 152

Kursk
T90
T34-85
Su 85
IS II
ISU 152

And if you were trying to do the German opposition, it gets ever harder. in Barbarossa, for example, you would have Panzer 35(t) and 38(t), Panzer II F, as well as early model Panzer III (Ausf C-H) and Stug III C. the Russians would need to get KV 1 and SU 76. this would require a lot of 'one of' units for both sides.

most of the units are designed with 1944 in mind, and it is best that they are used for a campaign with a 1944 setting. Bagration is little known in the west (i had to go to Russia to research much of the information) and this campaign could educate those who play it on a little known but vital campaign for the red army.

if you wanted to include Zhukov, you could have him congratulating Polkovnk (Major) Danko on his unit's exemplary performance in the liberation of Minsk.

The t-34 came out in 1940 so the main bulk of the Russian tanks will be usable.
PS did any of you read my other post?

[vengefulnoob]

Yes, provided that tub is interested, we could have a two campaign storyline here. Ie follow my campaign with tubs

[ford_prefect]

Yes, provided that tub is interested, we could have a two campaign storyline here. Ie follow my campaign with tubs

Ok but I like the idea of three or four short campaigns. Just makes sense.

[Ghost]

why not make one campaign in the call of duty style, where you play different characters or maybe play the same but throughout the war (over many years)

[vengefulnoob]

I have my campaign idea here, adapted to fit in a second chapter:

"Ok I've figured out the campaign if ur interested:

the campaign follows the 13th guards rifle division from it's deployment at Stalingrad to The retaking of Orel. The characters are as follows:

1. The player, lieutenant sergei trufanov (fictional)
2. The players commander, general rotmistrov
3. Player's cocommander in certain missions, captain nikolai ivanov (fictional)
4. Other lower rank characters from 13th grds div
sergeant jakob Pavlov
lieutenant Anton kuzmich dragan

the mission list is as follows:
1. Landing on the Volga and taking part in pavlov's house, then moving on to the train station to assist dragan's defence
2. Attempting to take back mamayev kurgan's summit from the germans
3. Operation Uranus (player is reassigned to 4th tank corps under A.G. Kravchenko) and breaks through the Romanian lines
4. Operation ring: reassigned to 13th grds once more, the player attacks the red October tractor works where the last Germans remain.
5. Voronezh front: the player defends the Kursk bulge on it's southern side with 13th guards part of 5th guards tank army. Mostly infantry and at, NOT many tanks at this point
6. Prokhorovka: the player is commanded to take the divisions tanks into the battle of prokhorovka in a massive tank on tank battle
7. Operation rumiantsev counteroffensive: the player uses a combined force of tanks, infantry and friendly katyushas with plenty if air support to smash through the german lines and reach bogodukov. At the end of the mission, the player is seriously injured by a tiger tank Of 2nd ss "Das Reich" which kills Ivanov
8. Orel counterattack: the player recovers from his wounds and is reassigned to 3rd guards tank army, to attack Orel. Similar to rumiantsev, but with many more tanks (circa 30 t34s, 30 squads of guards and 16 t-70s (that's the rough size of the soviet motor rifle batalion at Kursk, counting motor rifle companies only))
when the battle ends, the player reflects on the battle: "3rd GTA was a worthy unit, but I knew which unit was my real home. 13th GRD"

before tub's campaign, the player rejoins 13th GRD and is promoted to captain in Ivanov's place, and put in command of 3rd guards mechanised battalion 
 
I've been working on this for some time, and the campaign is mostly historically acurate but also playable (ie the map with the Volga landing and the train station is about 2km in length)

however there is one problem: I don't know where pavlov's house was... "